Australia’s Elites Are Censoring Criticism of Israel by Calling It Antisemitic
In Australia, the political, media, and arts establishment is weaponizing accusations of antisemitism to silence critics of Israel’s war on Gaza. It’s tantamount to blackmail, and the goal is to delegitimize solidarity with Palestine.
A police officer and protester among hundreds of students gathered in front of Sydney Town Hall after leaving their classrooms to attend a pro-Palestinian rally in Sydney, Australia, on November 23, 2023. (Jen Osborne / Anadolu via Getty Images)
Since Israel commenced its assault on Gaza, institutions and state representatives across Australia have joined with their counterparts around the world in attempting to restrict and delegitimize support for Palestine. The campaign began in the days immediately following Israeli retaliation in Gaza, after the first pro-Palestine march crossed Sydney’s city center toward the Opera House.
New South Wales (NSW) Labor premier Chris Minns responded by vowing to stop future action and defaming pro-Palestinian protesters, claiming they’ve “proven they’re not peaceful.” Sensing an opportunity to turn Minns’s rhetoric against the Labor state government, NSW Liberal leader Mark Speakman followed up by demanding that NSW multiculturalism secretary, Mark Buttegieg, be sacked after his son attended a pro-Palestinian rally. Indeed, Speakman went so far as to suggest that Buttigieg disown his son. The next day, federal opposition leader Peter Dutton called for the deportation of so-called antisemitic protesters.
Despite this, weekly demonstrations across Australia have drawn tens and sometimes hundreds of thousands of attendees, brushing aside these attempts to ban protests against Israel’s war.
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